Unclear If DOJ Office That Advises The Prez Reviewed Trump Executive Orders

FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2017 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. China's Foreign Ministry has rejected President-elect Donald Trump's sugg... FILE - In this Jan. 11, 2017 file photo, President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York. China's Foreign Ministry has rejected President-elect Donald Trump's suggestion that he might use support of Taiwan as a bargaining chip in future negotiations between the two sides. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File) MORE LESS
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The office within the Department of Justice that typically advises the White House on legal actions, including executive orders, was unable to confirm that it had reviewed the executive orders issued by President Trump in recent days.

According to an NPR report, published Friday, the Department of Justice said “no comment” when asked whether its Office of Legal Counsel had reviewed the recent orders. As the report noted, the office’s own website says that executive orders issued by the president “are reviewed by the Office of Legal Counsel for form and legality, as are various other matters that require the President’s formal approval.”

NPR added that there were some cases — such as in matters of sensitive national security issues — where the Obama administration bypassed getting the advice of DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel. However, a former Obama-era DOJ spokesperson pointed out on Twitter that the “longstanding practice” of both Democratic and Republican administrations is to have the office “review all executive orders for legality before they are issued.”

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  1. Who cares if the executive orders are legal or not?
    I mean this is trump! dammit! Git stuff done!!

  2. OLC? Fuck them pencil-neck geeks! Rules are for pussies! Fuck the haters! This is Trump’s Amerikkka now, bitches!

    (channeling reddit)

  3. I’m expecting an announcement that the White House has fired everyone in that DOJ office any minute now.

    Related: The Right has screamed bloody murder for years about Obama’s tyrannical and unconstitutional executive orders, even though he issued fewer of them than any President since Grover Cleveland.

    The new guy sure seems to be issuing a lot of executive orders, and he’s only been in office a week. Where’s the outcry about how the President is circumventing Congress now?

  4. Trump: I make my own laws and overlook laws that I do not like. This is how business works in real life.
    FOX: There are just too many regulations and laws in the books. Who can possibly remember them all?

  5. Where’s Alberto when ya need him …? —

    Oh …he’s brown …isn’t he ? — nevermind

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